When i first got my gloves i never thought of them as protection I only wore them because my hopping hand started to go all dry where the saddle handle rubbed. I still don’t really see them as protection as i only have light x gloves they are really airy and my hands don’t sweat in them much which is v. nice :-). how much protection do glove really give you?
Ben
I wear gloves mainly to stop blisters, but they also give me a fair bit of protection, and make me feel safer. That’s actually one of the main reasons for wearing all of my padding…it gives me confidence. I have gotten some big bruises though while wearing gloves from hard falls…they don’t help bruise-wise at all unless they’re fancy ones.
Andrew
Have never worn gloves and I don’t really ever plan to do it. The secret is just toughen up your fingers and then you won’t get blisters! I just don’t really see the need personally. If it ever gets bad maybe I will think about it, but I’m fine for now. I’ve still never worn any protectiong unicycling, although I probably should have, even though I don’t do anything crazy enough to need it.
I only wear gloves for when I spank on concrete, I dont really like grazing my palms, I’ve done that before and it took ages to heal up again because the skin in that area constantly moves.
Im with andrew the more protection the more indestructible I feel, but then it only takes a seatpost set to high to get a guys achilles heel and remind him otherwise… lol
EDIT: i use light xc gloves aswell, but they do the business, fox sierra’s one of the best purchases ive ever made
One thing gloves do off-road is help prevent slicing cuts from broken branches and sharp rocks. These cuts could potentially do harm to tendons.
I don’t mean to sound cruel, cynical or negative but I am so that’s the way it comes out; this thread shouldn’t exist. Anyone who rides their uni hard in trials and/or muni will know that gloves prevent damage to their hands in UPDs… right?
Pete
I wear Harbingers with wrist protection for Muni and Trials for WHEN (not if) I end up in the prone position. Cycling gloves most of the time on the Coker or 29er should I UPD and slide, rare. Otherwise, no gloves.
The only way for the state of the art to progress is for innovative thinkers to question popular “truth” and come up with alternative ways of seeing things.
Yeah sorry I was just makin a crap joke, it’d probably help to be familiar with the late comedian, Bill Hicks to “ged it”. I’m not really negative or cynical. Havin said that though, I’m quietly confident that I know why most unicyclists (especially the top guys) would wear gloves.
Pete
I use gloves only if im using my huge handle seat that actually cuts the hand open which is not the best when doing rolling hops.
Trev
I only really wear mine when I’m on a uni with a jaggedy handle from being boshed on concrete, or if I’m likely to fall on gravel or spikey bushes.
I first got some fingerless gloves after a UPD where I “handplanted”, interrupting a potential faceplant by landing on my palms on a gravelly path. Having bits of gravel in your hand is generally not advised as it’s really rather painful in the first place, and then you’ve got to extract them.
I also have some full-fingered gloves for trials as I found some seat handles give nasty blisters on a bit of the finger that the fingerless gloves don’t cover.
The safety gear I wear depends on the ride, but I always wear at least the fingerless gloves. They don’t get in the way or get hot and sweaty like pads or helmets can, and they’re so small you can bung them in a pocket or something if you’re buying an ice-cream or something.
Handy things indeed. Badoom-Tsch… 
Phil
A couple of years ago, I was riding my Coker flat out in a straight line on smooth tarmac when I lost it completely and fell off forwards. I took one running step, then became a low flying skydiver. I hit the road and slid several feet.
The leather palms of my gloves were torn out, and the leather was rolled back all the way to the wrists, but my hands weren’t cut. That’s why I wear gloves.
Except a year after that, I had a low speed fall of the Coker, landed badly and injured my wrist and chipped a bone in my hand. So now I nearly always wear wrist guards instead of gloves.
i all most always wear gloves i have not handplanted but it will be the one time i don’t wear them!!!
Ben
Indeed! This happened to me… most annoying!
I also agree with this too andrew! I am just crap at trials and muni, and even learning new freestyle tricks (up to a point - like unispin, when the pedal can go into your shin!) without protection! I just feel much more comftable with it on!
Correct, I guess! Anyone who has landed on their hands (Mike) will know that gloves can save hands!
As Phil said, it is really painful. I personally think it is one of the most painfull things you can get from unicycling, and it takes so long to heal!
I use my gloves all of the time. Whether it is for Trials, Muni, Freestlye or even Hockey (helps me hold the stick), I’ve always got them on. I use fingerless for freestlye and summer Trials and Muni, unless Im going to be out all day, or it is cold, I wear my fingered gloves! 
Take care all, and hope whether you are riding with gloves or not, you dont hurt yourself too badly!
Joe,
i wear a glove on my right hand to prevent blisters.
i wear a glove on my left hand to protect my hand from getting scraped when i fall.
I always wear gloves… well, almost always…
I normally wear a glove on my right hand for holding the handle on my KH seat. I don’t always wear a glove on my left hand. It depends on whether or not I feel like putting one more glove on before I ride. I haven’t had any serious palm scrapings yet. I’ve just fallen flat on my hands and haven’t done any damage to speak of… yet.
Simple answer: 2 inch gash in hand, 4 houts waiting at a hospital, end of ride for the day. I did it on my friend pedal, but any object you put your hand down on during a UPD could cut you.
Arking
yeah i cut up my knuckles and fingers tryin to stop a head plant in a hurry a few weeks ago. It was after a really messed up crank flip, got some sixsixone downhill gloves after that and they save me all the time.